Jarrid Kosa, Lunch Beers Podcast Host – Our NFL Week 9 Recap covers the thrills of the week, including pivotal plays and referee decisions that have fans talking.
Sports gambling continues to grow across the nation year by year as more and more sportsbooks become legal across America. The handle on NFL Sunday is unrivaled by any other sport, and there are currently 30 states with legal operators taking action every week. The growing frenzy behind sports wagering has begun to divide NFL fans across the nation, as some people believe that it opens Pandora’s box to the possibility of fixed games. Who can blame them? It’s not as if it has never happened in sports before; NBA official Tim Donaghy was caught fixing games back in 2007. Now, I am not sure what procedures the NFL has to ensure that this type of behavior does not take place, but every time I watch the Eagles, it feels like there are zero procedures.
Week 9 was awesome in the NFL: Josh Dobbs became Minnesota’s new miracle, CJ Stroud led the league in passing yards with an epic win over the Bucs, and Lamar Jackson became the co-favorite to win MVP after defeating another 1st place NFC team. However, one game was the furthest thing from awesome, and it just so happened to be America’s game of the week between the Cowboys and Eagles. Why did the game lack awesomeness? Because it stunk to the high heavens with the scent of tampering.
The soft 8-1 Eagles continue to get blessed by NFL referees, and the Week 9 game against their division rival, Dallas, might have been the most unfairly called game of the year. Multiple times, Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons was held right in front of an official. Any flags? Of course not. On the very next drive for the Cowboys, after Micah Parsons threw a fit, the Eagles ran an end around with AJ Brown, and there was a hold as clear as day; no flag.
In the 4th quarter, the referees decided that maybe football should be played fair as they finally threw a flag for hands to the face on cornerback James Bradberry, but after a discussion, the official decided to pick up the flag and not enforce the obvious penalty. Once the Eagles got the ball back, the referees decided to penalize Stephon Gilmore for pass interference on a ball that was thrown 5 yards out of bounds by Jalen Hurts. 15 yards and a first down kept the chains moving for the Eagles.
With 10 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, on a 4th down play, the Cowboys were looking to punch one in, and Cowboys TE Luke Schoonmaker was hit early on a ball he caught, but the early hit prevented him from getting into the endzone; no flag. Don’t worry though, the call on the field was a touchdown, until the officials overturned the call on the play after missing the penalty that would have given the Cowboys a first down at the 1-yard line. The Eagles took over and tried the tush push to get off the goal line. The right guard moved so early on an egregious false start—think the refs threw a flag? Hell no. If you aren’t a delusional Eagles fan, it is near impossible to watch these games where the Eagles can do no wrong and not get outraged by the officiating. It begs the question: is something fishy going on?
If you are a diehard football fan like I am, I encourage you to go back and watch the tapes from the Eagles’ games this year. I would challenge any reasonable unbiased human being to watch their games and not scratch their head or conclude that the NFL wants them to win. It has me disgusted, and I am so happy they are on a bye in week 10, so we don’t have to suffer this insufferable organization for a few days. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell needs to have an investigation into this ASAP before it becomes worse. Seeing how he let Dan Snyder do whatever he wanted for years, I doubt anything will be done about it. We the fans can still fight the good fight, though! Enjoy Week 10!
Cowboys stink